A New Beginning
by Tenor of Fandoms
Summary: Senior year isn't just an end - it's a new beginning for some. Even a new friend or lover can be found in an old enemy. All it takes is realizing just how much they've done for you. Eventual DashXDanny. Yaoi. No flames.
1. Senior Year

**Hi everyone. Don't start, I know: "OMG, WTF IS HE STARTING ANOTHER STORY? He has four other stories in progress!" Well, this is just another idea I had going on. I've recently become reacquainted with _Danny Phantom_ (I blame my friend Briana [love ya!] for reminding me how much I loved that show this summer when I was home alone.) I promise, I WILL have the next chapter of A New Generation up by the end of next week. I'm just having a major block with this part I'm at and I can't figure out where to go. Blah. I'm not going to abandon it like I did with _Can't Hide_, though, because I actually like that story. That one, however, will be taken down before Christmas like I previously stated. I love Kurtofsky, but I need a better idea before I work on something like that. Blah. Anyways, here's yet another story. I promise I WILL update all of these stories more often once I just find the effing time and inspiration. Nothing's really hit me yet, but I promise, I'm so close!**

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><p>Senior year: A time for everyone to relax, take it easy, and just have fun! ... Unless the school you attended was Casper High. And you were Danny Phantom. And everyone knew who you were because of one careless transformation.<p>

It wasn't any worse than what he'd expected. Danny knew that no matter what, people would have discovered his identity eventually, no matter how much he tried to keep it secret or made sure no one was around. Someone would find out. And once a campfire was lit, the forest would be ablaze in minutes. Someone had managed to get the video from the Nasty Burger and posted it onto the internet. Within hours, his parents had called him down to ask about it. Needless to say, they were furious before they finally calmed down enough to listen to Danny's side of the story: how the portal in the basement was the cause of it, how he wasn't the first half-ghost they'd made (Jack had looked particularly ashamed and furious when he mentioned Vlad had tried to kill him _several_ times), and how they'd tried to defeat him as well. Eventually it had boiled down to that no matter how much they'd despised his alter-ego and all ghosts, they loved him as their son and could admit not all ghosts were bad. And really, he couldn't have asked for anything better.

But then came the media, and they had a field day about how the son of the famed ghost exterminators was, indeed, a ghost himself. It was embarrassing, and no one in town had still quite recovered from it. And then came the campaigns.

They'd started about a week before school started. Led by none other than the parents of Paulina, Star, and a few of the football players, the town had begun to lead a coalition against him. Signs read, "Phantom's a Menace!", "Get Out, Ghost Boy!" and "Save Amity Park!" They had swarmed his house first thing in the morning, and they'd stayed for almost five straight days before the police intervened. No matter how much anyone really wanted to admit it, the police could grudgingly stand by him, knowing the countless time he'd saved their skins during some of his random patrols. No matter what, no one could admit that he hadn't saved all of them on several occasions.

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><p>Now that they first day back had started, though, Danny felt himself growing nervous at the idea of confrontation. He couldn't deal with all this, not on his own. Even though Sam and Tucker were on his side, they couldn't fend off the public anymore, not now they knew his identity. <em>They're probably going to stone me, or something ridiculous, <em>he thought miserably.

_You could make them faze right through you, stupid..._ he countered. _Plus, you could just fly to school to avoid the bus. _Danny pulled one of his many identical t-shirts over his head before closing his eyes, feeling the tingly sensation of the blue ring going around his body and changing his body to reflect the icon everyone either loved or hated. He ran his fingers through his now white hair, shrugging when he decided it looked fine before walking out of his room, fazing through the door and floating downstairs.

"Mom, Dad, I'm heading to school!" he called as he started to faze through the front door.

"Wait, sweetheart! Your stuff!" Maddie called, tossing him his backpack as she walked out of the kitchen. Danny couldn't help but notice she was already in her teal jumpsuit, sans the mask. "And your lunch," she said, walking up to him. He took it, but paused for a moment, waiting for her to continue. "Danny, are... are you sure you want to do this?" she started. "Jazz can stay home and tutor you. The University isn't far away. And you can visit Sam and Tucker whenever you like."

"Mom, I promise I'll be fine. This is something I have to do. Besides, I'm literally halfway out the door," he commented, causing them both to chuckle. She smiled sadly before kissing his cheek.

"Alright. Have a good day, sweetheart." He nodded and flew off, Maddie watching him from the window. She sighed before turning around, seeing her husband stumble up from the basement.

"He'll be fine, Maddie. He's a strong boy, after all." He placed his hands on her shoulders, smiling gently.

"That's what I'm afraid of, Jack. What if he accidentally hurts someone?"

"He's been doing this since his freshman year; I think he knows what he's doing. In the meantime... we should probably get to work. I, um... I kinda let that obnoxious ghost obsessed with boxes out again." Maddie smiled and shook her head.

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><p>Flying always cheered him up. The wind flying through his hair, the feeling of weightlessness, the sound of rushing gusts in his ears... Here, he was just his own person. No one judged him up here, and they couldn't touch him. He took a deep breath and smiled to himself. This was his paradise.<p>

He came to a halt as he reached Casper High, sighing in contempt. "Well, he goes nothing..." he said, slowly descending to the front door of the school and transforming once he landed. Once upon a time, he'd hid behind a tree, but what was the point now? He transformed back into Danny Fenton before opening the front door, trying his best to prepare for whatever it was they were going to throw at him. He closed his eyes, walking through the doorway. Instead of stones, though, came claps, cheers, and whistles. He opened his eyes and saw the school celebrating him. His shoulders relaxed as he let out a deep sigh. "H-hi guys!" he stammered, waving shakily.

"Danny, sign my notebook!"

"Dude, can I get a picture with you!"

"Go out with me, Danny!"

"Oh my gosh, he's so hot!"

He felt his face grow warm as he walked to his locker where, thankfully, he saw Sam and Tucker arguing over something idiotic. Tucker stopped though, smiling as he noticed his best friend.

"So, how was the last week of your summer?" he asked before the goth ribbed him. "OW! What?"

"You _know_ how his last week was! _Everyone knows!_" she hissed, throwing him a scathing look.

"Dude, it's fine. Everyone's been pretty cool about it. More so than their parents," he grumbled. Sam smiled sympathetically.

"They'll come around eventually. Besides, now that you're a national icon and not some anonymous weirdo, people might actually treat you like a human being. It'll die down one of these days. To them, you'll just become a celebrity." She took a breath to keep talking, but stopped, glaring behind him. He turned around slowly, cringing when he looked up. There stood Dash Baxter, eyes at his feet as he scuffed his shoes on the floor, hand in the pockets of his Letterman's jacket.

"Dash."

"Fenton." They stood there awkwardly, the blonde avoiding his gaze the best he could. "I... I wanted to say..." he started, but when he looked up, he blushed and lost his nerve, settling to shove him into his locker as he pushed past him.

"Jerk!" Sam called as she helped Danny stand, checking him over quickly. "You okay?"

"Yeah..." he hissed, rubbing his shoulder and putting some of his books into his locker. "At least someone's treating me normally..." he mumbled, slamming it shut.

Tucker smirked. "It's Dash. Do you really expect him to change?"

"He should act more mature," Sam interjected, slamming her locker shut and slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"I don't mind." She shot him an incredulous look, causing him to shrug. "It makes me feel normal. Like I'm still just Danny Fenton, not the biggest thing since Ember, or the Kardashians. It makes me feel... human."


	2. Fridays

Music blared in the locker room after school that Friday, all of Dash's efforts concentrated on his bench presses. "Freakin'... Fenton..." he grunted between presses. "Such... an ass..." He set the bar on the rest and sat up, wiping some sweat from his forehead as he caught his breath. Dash looked around and sighed. Why did high school have to be so difficult? As if trying to be the popular jock everyone expected him to be wasn't enough. Now he had to deal with "feelings." Ugh. And all because of him.

Dash tossed his towel aside before walking into one of the shower stalls. It was all Fenton's fault, he knew it. First, Dash had crush on him through out their entire school career. Then, Danny Phantom came along, and Dash had a crush on _him_, knowing that he'd never have a chance with Fenton if he wanted to remain at the top of the pyramid. And now they were the same guy? That opened up a whole new dimension of terror for him. He already had to hide the face he was gay by getting with some of the random popular girls. Why did high school have to be so complicated? He undressed, making sure no one else was around before turning on the water.

"Damn, forgot the towel," he grumbled as he came back out, wiping some sweat out of his eyes. As he opened them, he felt his heart drop like a stone as he noticed he was no longer alone. He quickly wrapped a towel around himself, trying to hide his shame. "What're you doing here, Fenton?" he shouted as the newcomer materialized.

Great. Just absolutely brilliant.

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><p>Danny blushed as he set his feet on the ground. Truth be told, he just needed somewhere to be alone and think. The day hadn't been any better than what his parents could have predicted, although it was all positive. He liked no longer being seen as the plague, but he supposed he really wanted to just go back to his normal life as a teenage nobody. "Sorry, Dash. I didn't think anyone else would be here." The blond heading back to the shower stall, mumbling. "Hey, if you have a problem, have the guts to say it to my face, Dash!"<p>

"Why should I?" Danny walked over to him, grabbing his arm roughly and wheeling him around.

"Because I'm sick of everyone treating me like a freak! You're the only person who hasn't treated me like some hero who needs to be idolized or something!" He could feel his temper rising, the tension from the day suddenly projected full out towards his bully. Dash's eyes widened a bit.

"Look, Fenton... I've seen what you do when you're mad. Just... Calm down, will ya? Take a few deep breaths." His words barely registered, but the brunette slowly turned back to normal. He couldn't remember transforming into his ghost form. He'd have to keep a better check on his emotions and his powers.

"Sorry..."

"I get it. But... Look, Fenton: I know you want me to treat you like I did before you were outed as the Ghost Kid, but... I can't. Sorry." Danny raised an eyebrow.

"You're apologizing for not beating me up?" Dash looked away, shrugging him off.

"L-l-look, it's... complicated. You wouldn't understand." Danny slowly lowered his hand and nodded.

"Seems like everything's complicated," he said, rubbing his shoulder with his arm. Not that anything had _ever_ been simple, he had to remind himself. "I get it. Don't worry." He looked up, forcing a smile. "Anything I can help with?" Dash continued to look away, turning his back to him as he entered the stall.

"You'd just make it more complicated," he heard. Danny opened his mouth to press further but decided against it.

"Right... Well... If you change your mind, let me know." He wrote down his phone number on a slip of paper before walking to Dash's locker, fazing through the metal and the material of his backpack to place it one of his notebooks. "Later, Dash," he said, more to himself. Danny grabbed his own belongings as he started to walk out, not quite sure how to respond to his own actions.

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><p>Dash waited a few minutes, cleaning himself off before turning off the water. He toweled off his hair before wrapping it around his waist. What exactly was Fenton playing at? "If you change your mind, let me know." He grimaced. If he knew he was in love with him, his social life would die. Instantly. All of his friends would turn on him in an instant. High school was the equivalent of Chinese water torture while getting your nails ripped out one by one. And that was just for the popular kids.<p>

He dressed quickly and walked out with his belongings, slinging his bag over his right shoulder. "And now for a lonely weekend by myself," he grumbled as he walked along the hall, throwing the doors to the school open. He couldn't even enjoy the fresh air as he walked home. Looking to the sky, he could almost swear he saw Phantom - Fenton - flying ahead of him. He wished he could fly away at a whim, once again filled with an odd combination of affection, jealousy, and rage. Why should he get that freedom, and not Dash?

**A/N See? I'm slowly getting chapters out! I'll update again soon!**

**~Kevin**


	3. A Long Talk

Dash whimpered a bit. Four hours ago, Danny Fenton had given him his cell number and Dash could actually call or text him. The boy he had a crush on. His heart had been pounding for hours. _C'mon, Dash. Nothing's stopping you from just texting him,_ he thought to himself. He sighed, picking up his phone. After all, one simple text couldn't hurt? But, how exactly did you start a conversation with the guy you bullied for years because you secretly had a crush on him? "Hey. I was an asshole because I wanna screw you." Great conversation starter.

(...)

Danny groaned as he woke up from his after school nap. His phone buzzed and played a random ringtone he'd set for those he didn't have in his contacts. He opened his eyes slightly as he checked the screen. An unknown number had text him saying "Hey." He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and yawned.

"Dash?" he asked, blinking to clear his vision a bit.

"Yeah. Sorry I didn't text sooner. I didn't know what to say."

"No big deal." Danny paused. Where could this conversation go exactly? "Still there?" came another message a few minutes later.

"Yeah."

"Great. Hey, listen. This might sound odd, but do you think we could meet up at the Nasty Burger and talk?" Danny felt his heart rate jump a tiny bit. Was this a weird trap of some kind? Sure, he could beat Dash with a flick of his wrist, but there could be more to it.

"No tricks?" he typed slowly. Of course he had a reason to be suspicious.

"With the Ghost Boy? As if!"

"Had to check. 15 minutes?"

"See you there."

(...)

On the dot, Danny materialized in front of Dash without a noise fifteen minutes later. The blond jumped. "Christ, Fenton! You nearly gave me a heart attack" he yelped, clutching his chest. The ghost boy smirked.

"So, how come you wanted to me up?" Danny started, letting the blue rings on his body travel along his limbs as he transformed back to his regular form. Dash couldn't help but stare a bit, causing the other boy to raise a brow. "Dash?"

"Uh... Wh-Oh, right..." He blushed, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry... It's just... different watching you transform in person than, say on the internet." He smiled a bit. "It's pretty cool." The brunette laughed a bit.

"I guess."

"Wanna head inside?" Dash asked, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

"Probably not. Wouldn't want anyone you know to see us together." The blond blushed a few shades darker. Did Fenton really think that his popularity status really meant that much to him anymore? "I wouldn't want you to become an outcast by being seen with Danny Phantom..."

"Well, we could go for a walk. Or head somewhere maybe a bit more secluded?" He shrugged. "I mean, if you know anywhere." _Oh, yeah, because that doesn't sound like a date,_ the jock thought to himself angrily.

Danny merely smiled. "I don't see why not. Sam and Tuck are busy and I have nothing to do. How about the top of that apartment building?" he suggested, gesturing to the complex across the street. "I can carry you," he offered, holding out a hand. Dash groaned to himself. _Seeming more and more like a date..._ he thought as he slowly took the ghost's extended hand. Danny flew up, his legs becoming like more of a tail, Dash noticed, before scooping up the jock in his arms and slowly carrying him to the top of the building. "Normally, I'd go faster, but this _is_ your first time on the Fenton/Phantom express." Dash snorted.

It took the jock a moment to get over the sudden reconnection to the ground once they had landed on the rooftop. He slowly walked to the edge and sat down, staring out over the ledge at Amity Park. "You don't usually get used to it for the first times, even as the actual ghost. I'm impressed you took it so well," he heard as the other teen sat on his left. "So, what's up?"

Dash had no idea where to even begin.

(...)

Danny watched as Dash seemed to struggle with the ideas in his head and the words that wanted to come out. The blond looked nervously at his companion. "Listen, Fenton..." he started, but was cut off.

"Danny," he corrected. "It's just the two of us. No one will freak out if they don't hear you insulting me."

"Danny, then..." he amending, blushing a bit. "I-I... I wanted to apologize for how I've treated you these past few years..." he stated, looking down at his hands. "I know I've been a really big ass since we've met, but... I dunno. I guess I've always been jealous of how you've always known who you are, and you've been okay with yourself." He paused, waiting for the brunette to interject. When Danny made no move to talk, Dash pressed on. "I don't really expect you to understand of to forgive me, but that's all I really wanted to say. And that, I dunno... I'd like to somehow make up for it." They sat in silence for a bit.

"Well," Danny finally managed to say, "I can understand not being okay with yourself. It's not like it's uncommon."

"How would you know...?" Dash mumbled to himself.

"Dude, you're talking to the kid who became half-ghost by his father, the world-famous Jack Fenton, Ghost Hunter." It came out a bit harsher than he had hoped, but when the jock looked up, the hero was smiling. "I understand not being comfortable with yourself. And between you and me, all of these parents protesting my being at Caspar High really don't help much."

Dash winced visibly. "I'm really sorry about you having to go through all that..." Danny smiled still.

"It's easier when you have good friends. I mean, you have all of the popular kids on your side, right?" Dash laughed venomously.

"The only really friend I think I have is Kwan. Everyone else is just there until I get kicked off of the football team."

"And why would you get kicked off? You're one of the best players in the history of the school!" the jock once again avoided his gaze.

"I... Look, Danny, it's complicated." The ghost boy nodded.

"I certainly know about complicated. Trust me. I'm sure this isn't as bad as becoming half-ghost." Dash shook his head, looking out at the town.

"You have no idea what I would give to be in your situation," he mumbled. "What I wouldn't give to just... disappear at a whim." Danny felt his face warm up, looking down a bit in shame. "People here just don't get that not everyone is the way they expect us to be. I mean, I never cared that I was saved by the ghost kid, or Inviso-Bill, or whatever else they called you. I always liked him. I mean, he always saved me and the town whenever we needed him... well, you... You have to see why I've been so conflicted... I tried to support him while wailing on you and shoving you into lockers... Although, now I know how you got out so quickly." He buried his face in his hands. When I found out both were you, Danny, I didn't know how to act."

Danny laid a hand on Dash's shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up, Dash. It isn't a big deal." He took one hand in his. "You treated me like i was still just Danny Fenton, high schooler, and not some pariah or hero. I think that's what I wanted the most."

"I don't want that, though..." the jock interjected. "I wanna... I wanna be your friend. Like, I just feel bad for never giving a friendship with you a shot." He looked at their hands and cleared his through loudly before taking it back. "I know it sounds dumb, but I don't care about my status anymore. I just want you... a-as a friend," he added quickly. Danny smiled.

"I don't see why not." They smiled at each other and continued talking until well after the sun had set. "We should make this a regular thing," the ghost remarked as he carried the blond down.

"Fine with me."

"Same time tomorrow?" Dash nodded.

"Later, Danny."

"Later, Dash." They waved before the raven-haired boy vanished. Dash let out a deep breath when he thought he was safely alone. Now all he had to do was learn to play nice with Manson and Foley, and soon he could become one of his crush's closest friends. He whistled happily as he walked home.


End file.
